Citrus juice extractor



June 18, 1940. A w E CLARK 2,205,059

CITRUS JUICE EXTRACTOR 'giled sept. a, 1957` s sheets-sheet 1 es 64mvENToR W. E. CLARK A' BY ATTORNEYS June 18, 1940- w. E. CLARK2,205-,059

cmws JUICE ExTnAcToa Filedsept. 9, 1937 3 sheets-sheet 2 '5 f FIG. 2.

|NvENTIoR ,2 l w. E. CLARK ATTORNEYS .June 18, 1940.

w. E. CLARK 2,205,059

cmws JUICE'EXTRACTOR v Filed sept. 9. 1937 :s Sheng-sheet s INVENTOR w..E. CLARK TTRNEYS l diameter.

Patented June 1s, 1940 STATES PATENT OFFICE aztmse orrnus JUICEEx'rnacron. william E. clark, Dundalk, Md.

Application September 9, 1937, Serial No. 133,073 i claim.v (ci. iss-2s)This invention appertains to a novel means and method of handling citrusfruits for expeditiously and economically extracting all of the juicestherefrom.

In the citrus fruit industry, methods of handling the fruit for juiceextraction vary from all manual to all mechanical, with varying degreesof combinations of these. The former requires a large number ofemployees. 'I'he mechanics and operation of the latter are far fromperfect and leave much room for improvement.

In all methods, the process begins with cutting the fruit into halves orhemispheres, but no precautions are taken to make these segments equal,which inequalitiesr introduce difllculties in further processing. Thehalves are variously handled to extract the juice. In some instances,they are held manually over the ends of revolving reamers or burrs. Inother instances, tthey are forced mechanically over metal hemispheresand the juice extracted. In still further instances, they are cut inquarters and mechanically held against a revolving ovoid-shapedextractor made of rods secured to end hubs.

In all cases; the juice,n pulp, seeds and part of the rag ow into acommon trough from which the same is carried to a separator.

The shortcomings or dimculties of existing mechanical extractors are,first, they require a partial grading of the fruit for size withinlimited ranges, whereas the fruit coming tothe juice plant consists of amixture of all sizes. In the case of grapefruit, these sizes may rangefrom three inches in diameter to over six inches in Secondz no feedexists (to my knowledge) which will deliver to a machine one fruit at a'time from this mixture of sizes. Two small fruit will frequently occupya carrier or pocket which is large enough to accommodate the largestfruit. Third, the very unequal halving of the fruit introducesdiiiiculties in the following process. Fourth, the segments of fruitbecome reversed and present the peel to the extractor, which rupturesthe oil pores and thus mixes oil with the juice.

It is, therefore, one of the primary objects of my invention to providea machine which will remedy the conditions set out above, and which willeffectively handle all sizes of citrus fruits, without any preliminarygrading thereof.

Another salient object of my invention is to provide novel means fordelivering one fruit at a time (irrespective of size) to a bucket wheel,with means cooperating with the wheel, to cut the fruit in half, thewheel being of such a character as to centralize the fruit relative tothe cutting knife, whereby the fruit will be severed very closely in twoequal halves.

A further object of my invention is to provide novel means for actuatingthe fruit delivery 6 mechanism` from the bucket wheel in proper timedrelation thereto, whereby the proper position of a. bucket for receivingthe fruit is insured.

A further important object of my invention is to' provide means forreceiving the fruit halves l0 and for partially severing the halves intoquarters of the whole, whereby the slit or kerfed halves will be inproper form to be handled by the extractor, said fruit-receiving meansincluding pairs of endless belts disposed at an angle 15 to oneanother-for insuring the centering of the fruit relative to the kerflngknife or saw, and for holding the halves dat against the cutting tablefor engagement by the extractor mechanism.

A still further object of nur invention is to provide novel means forreceiving the kerfed halves, whereby the kerfed halves will be fiattenedand the rag and pulp scraped therefrom to insure the extracting of`allthe juice therefrom.

A still further object of my invention is to provide-a, juice extractormechanism embodying a corrugated or grooved juice extractor cylinder orroller, and an inclined endless belt for feeding the kerfed halves tcthe roller and against the same.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thenovel construction, arrangement, 'and formation of parts, as will behereinafter more speciilcally described, claimed, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which drawings:

Figure 1 is a. front elevation of my improved machine, parts of themachine being shown broken away and in section to illustrate struc- 40tural details.

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the machine taken substantiallyon the line 2-2 of Figure 1, parts of the framework being eliminated` tomore clearly illustrate operating parts of the machine.

Figure 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevation of the machine,illustrating the novel means employed for holding the delivery beltagainst the juice extractor roller. 5o

Figure 41s an-en1arged, fragmentary detail view, with parts in section,illustrating the novel means employed for carrying the belts for holdingthe halved fruits in propel' Position for fur' ther cutting. 55

Figure 5 is an enlarged, detail horizontal section taken substantiallyon the line 5 5- of Figure 2.

Figure 6 discloses a front elevation of an orange or like fruit beforebeing treated by they Figure 6C is an edge elevationalA view of the rindof the fruit sections after the fruit sections have been flattened andotherwise operated on by my machine.

Referring to the drawings in detail, wherein similar referencecharacters designate corre.- sponding parts throughout the severalviews, the letter A generally indicates the novel fruit extractormachine, and the same comprises a builtup supporting frame I il on whichthe various parts of the machine are supported. This frame I@ can be ofany suitable design and formed from any' desired material.

Mounted on the upper end of the frame is a rotatable bucket wheel II,and extending toward this Wheel is a delivery trough I2. This trough canextend from a hopper in which the fruit is poured as the same isreceived from the groves.

The bucket wheel iI is formed in halves so as to permit the passage ofthe halving knife I3. As illustrated, the bucket wheel includes hubplates It securely bolted together, as at I5, and outwardly peripheralinclined ilanges It. These peripheral flanges I6 form, in conjunctionwith one another, a V-shaped annular way for the fruit to be severed,and the fruit is retained in this Way by radially extending guardflanges Il.

At spaced points, the wheel carries the buckets I8 for the fruit, andthese buckets are formed in like halves and are rigidly secured to thewheel sections, and the space between the bucket halves is such that theknife I 3 can pass freely therethrough. Each bucket is of a cone shapeso as to permit the centering of any size fruit withinthe limits of themachine inthe plane of the knife I3. The outer edge of the largediameter of the cones is cut away to facilitate the seating of the fruitwhen the fruit is ejected from the feed mechanism, which will now bedescribed.

The trough i2 extends in front of the wheel, andthe fruit is deliveredone at a time by a reciprocating plunger arm is from the trough to thebucket wheel. This plunger is mounted within a guideway 2@ carried bythe trough, and the inner end of the plunger carries a head 2i forengaging' the fruit. The plunger it is reciprocated back and forth by alever 22, which is rockably mounted intermediate its ends upon a pivotpin E. carried by a suitable bearing rigidly mounted on the frame l@ ofthe machine. A pin-and-slot connection 2t is utilized for connecting theupper end of the lever i2 with the plunger, and a similar connection 25is utilized for connecting the lower end of the plunger to an actuatingslide rod t6. This slide rod it is mounted for movement in spaced guidesEl mounted on the frame of the machine. The inner end o2 the slide rodhas formed thereon or secured thereto an actuat -ingfor trip feet 23,which is disposed in the path of a plurality' of laterally extendingoperating pins 2t secured at spaced points on one side of the bucketwheel.

Thus, as a pin 29 strikes the slide rod 2t, .the slide rod will beforced outwardly, and the plunger it inwardly for electing a fruit fromthe trough and for delivering the same to the wheel. The position of thepins 2% relative to the foot 2@ is such that a fruit will be deliveredto the wheel at the moment a bucket passes the trough.

Normally, the slide rod 25 is urged toward the pins by a spring itil,which is coiled about the slide rod. One end of the spring rests againsta collar pinned to the slide rod, and the other end of the spring restsagainst one of the guides 21. As the fruit is carried past the knife I3,the same is cut into approximately equal halves, and while I have shownthe knife i3 of the stationary type; it is to be understood that thesame can b e a revolving knife or saw.

As illustrated, the knife edge is inclined so that a shear cut will begiven to the fruit. A suitable guard 3| can be employed for partiallyhousing the bucket wheel so as to hold the fruit in place. When a bucketreazhes the top limit of a circular path, the fruit may roll out of itsseat. In this event, it will be retained in its respective wheelcompartment by the guard 3l and the inclined wheel flanges IB and thepreceding bucket until the wheel is sufficiently advanced to permit thefruit to rest against the cutting edge of the knife i3. The Vcross-section of the wheel will keep the fruit centered, and thefollowing bucket will aid this centering and force the fruit over theknife. It may prove practical to ac celerate the speed of the bucketwheel until its peripheral speed is equal to theacceleration of gravity,in which case the fruit would remain in the bucket. The wheel maintainsthe fruit center in the plane of the knife, in any event.

The wheel is secured to a rotatable shaft 32 mounted in bearings 33carried by the frame IG of the machine, and the shaft can be rotated inany desired manner. As shown, a pulley Wheel St is secured to the shaft32, and this pulley wheel has trained thereabout a drive belt 35, whichcan be driven in any preferred manner 'from the main line or power shaftt. This power shaft 3E Ais rotatably mounted in bearing brackets 3lcarried by the lower part of the frame tu and is disposed substantiallyat the centra-l part oi the machine. This power or line shaft 3S can bedriven from any desired prime mover. Y

The two halves of the fruit fall ori-each sid of the knife it and downonto the oppositely inclined symmetrical chutes 3E, and during thetravel of the halves down the chutes, the same are partially cut orkerfed so as to form subv stantially quarters cf the whole fruit, withthe quarters connected.

The object of partial cutting or kering of the fruit hemispheres is tofacilitate the iattening of the peel for pulp removal by the extractorand to avoid tearing the edge of the peel at perhaps such closeintervais that small secticns of the peel would be torn on? by theextractor and car-n riad away with the juice.

Disposed between the oppositely inclined guide chutes @d at the upperends thereof is a drive shaft t, and this shaft is rotatably mounted inbearings tu mounted upon the frame of the machine. This shaft is drivenin any desired manner from the line shaft tt. The guide chutes 38intermediate their ends and at their longitudinal centers, are providedwith slots through which extend the rotary kerflng knives Iii, which eutthe halves of the fruit as the same slide down the chutes. The halves ofthe fruit are held centered in a novel manner relative to the knives liland are held at against the chutes, so thatall likelihood of the fruithalves being inverted is eliminated.

Thus, each vchute has mounted thereover a pair `of endless belts 42, andthe belts of each pair are arranged at an angle to one another to form asubstantially V-shaped way. 'Ihese belts extend adjacent to thelower endof the knife i3 and ,receive the'fhalves as the halves leave the knifei3. Itv isto be noted that the pairs of belts are .not only inclinedtoward one another, but also gradually extend inwardly toward thechutes, so that the fruit halves will be firmly held against the knife.The lower ends of the belts are free to swing so that the belts will.automatically ad- 19 K same will be rotated inv unison. One of theshafts ley belt 53.0perated from`a pulley wheel 54 sejustthemselves tothe size of the fruit halves, and the knives 4| are mounted on the sameframe carrying the belts, so that as the belts swing, the knives will becarried therewith.

The frame .for carrying. thel belts and knives 4l is clearly shown inFlgurefi, and each belt frame includes a bell-crank shaped lever 49rockably mounted upon the drive shaft 99. Each lever at its angle isprovidedl with Va bearing vfor rotatably supporting the knife shaft 44for the rotatable knives 4i, and the lower ends of the arms of thelevers are provided with bearings 45 for ysupporting pulley shafts 49.The pulley lshafts 46 carry pulleys 41 for the belts 42, and

the inner ends of the shafts are joined by uni- 'versal joints orbeveled gears 49, whereby the f- 49 carries a pulley wheel 49, which isoperated by a pulley belt 59 from a pulley 5I on the drive shaft 39.'The knife shaft 44 has keyed thereto a pulley wheel 52 around which istrained a pulcured to theline shaft 39..

Rockably mounted upon the upper ends of the frame levers 43 are arms 55carrying bearings 59l for the upper pulley shafts 51. These pulleyshafts carry idler pulley wheels 59over which are trained the conveyorpulley belts 42, and the lower ends of the conveyor pulley belts 42 aretrained over the pulley wheels 49.- A set screw 59 is carried by thelever 43 and bears against the swinging arm 55. Hence, by adjustingtheset screws 59, the tension of the conveyor pulley belts 42,

can be adjusted. As the lower ends of the frame levers 43 are mountedfor free swinging movement, the conveyor and holding belts 42 tend tomove toward 'the chutes 39, and to hold the fruit fiat against thechutes.

As the kerfed halves ofthe fruit leave the conveyor belts 42 and theknives 4-I, the same continue down their respective chutes to theextractorv mechanism. The extractor mechanism is duplicated on 'eachsid`e of the machine, and hence only one extractor will be described indetail. v A

Each extractor includes a corrugated or grooved extractor cylinder orroll 90, and this roll is secured to a shaft 9| rotatably mounted insuitable bearings on the frame of the machine. The shaft 99 has keyed orotherwise secured -thereto a pulley wheel 92, which is operativelyconnected by means of a pulley belt 93 with a pulley wheel 94 on theline shaft 99. Extending under the lower end of each guide chute is ajuice-'receiving partial housing 65, and this housing opens into a juicetrough 99. The trough 99 receives the juice,` the pulp, seeds,and.rag.i'rom the Juice exthe peel vdrops therefrom into a suitablerefuse receptacle or conveyor.

yThe extractor roller or cylinder 99 is mounted below and inwardly ofthe lower edge of its chute, with a part of the periphery thereof justextending above the chute, whereby the groove will be enabled to receivethe edges of the kerfed halves. Mounted above lthe extractor roller 69and over the chutes 38 are inclined feed and holding belts 69 for thekerfed fruit halves.

The upper ends of the conveyor andy holding belts 99 are trained over arelatively long drive pulley wheel 99, which is keyed to a shaft 19. Theshaft 19 is driven from the line shaft 99, and suitable pulley andpulley wheels are utilized for this operation, as is clearly shown inFigures l and 2 of the drawings.

The lower ends of the belts 99 are trained over a relatively long pulleywheel 99', andthis pulley wheel is carried by a shaft 1|, the ends ofwhich are received in bearing blocks 12. 'Ihe bearing blocks 12 areslidablyv mounted in guideways or tracks 13 mounted upon bracket arms14' carried by the frame. 'I'hese slide bearings 12 are connected bymeans of springs 15 with adjust 4ing rods 19 carried by the frame I9. Bythis arrangement of parts, the pulley wheel` revolving extractingcylinder or roll 90. As the fruit hemispheres pass between the conveyorbelt y and the extractor roll the peel is flattened.

The extractor roll 99 revolves at a higher rate of speed than the belttravel, and thereby pullsv or rakes olf the pulp, seeds, and most of thetougher rag from the inner surface of the peel. The pulp cells arebroken and the Juice liberated. The swinging movement of the lower endsof the conveyor belt 99 permits the thorough cleaning of peels ofvarious thicknesses andpermits the passage of heavy or thick stem endsof the fruit without-undue breaking of the peel.

A's explained, the extracted juice, seeds, pulp, and rag of the fruitdrop 'through the grid or screen 91 onto the apron or partial housing95, and thence down to the `juice trough 99, from which it flows to theusual separator (not shown).

Referring back to the kerfing mechanism, it is also to be noted that Ipropose tohave the speed weights or springs.

From the foregoing description it can be seen that I have provided anexceptionally simple and durable mechanism for handlingk citrus fruitsof vvariousv sizes, which is so constructed and arranged as toeconomically and efficiently extract all of the juice from the fruitwithout waste. I

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or thescope loi.' the invention, but what I claim as new is:

In a citrus juice extractor, a bucket wheel having a plurality ofequidistantly spaced centering buckets for the fruit, equidistantlyspaced laterally extending trip pins carried by the wheel dis` posed atpredetermined positions relative to the buckets on the wheel, a troughleading to said wheel, a. reciprocating plunger mounted in the 5 troughfor delivering one fruit at a time, irrespective of size. to the bucketwheel, an operating rod,

means operatively connecting the rod to. the plunger, a cam foot on therod normally dieposed in the path of the pins, whereby to actuate theplunger in proper timed relation' relative to the' buckets on the wheel.v

WILLIAM E. CLARK.

